Force development for the AFMS

Maj. Gen. Barbara C. Brannon Assistant Surgeon General  Medical Force Development

By Maj. Gen. Barbara C. Brannon
Assistant Surgeon General, Medical Force Development

By now, many of you have attended a “Spread the Word” briefing on force development at your base.  Some medics have come away with the impression that force development is a line initiative that does not apply to the medical service.  Not so!  Force development is alive and well in the Air Force Medical Service and is being implemented on the same timeline as in the line of the Air Force. 

Officer force development is being deployed first and once it is fully underway, attention will turn to establishing comprehensive enlisted force development and civilian force development.  I believe force development is just what we need to better prepare our people, and to better meet Air Force needs. 

I am not going to present Force Development 101 in this news article.  I hope you all gained a basic understanding from the “Spread the Word” briefing.  I do want to provide information on the implementation of medical force development.

In the words of Air Force chief of Staff Gen. Gen. John P. Jumper, “Force development is about accomplishing Air Force missions today and tomorrow, improving your skills deliberately, using your skills more effectively, meeting your goals and expectations, and explaining (to you) more clearly your potential and opportunities. 

“Force development is not about fostering development for it’s own sake, developing everyone the same, focusing on your career field alone, or focusing on your next promotion.”  Read those words carefully; they are critical to understanding the program goals.”

Force development is a deliberate, systematic approach to managing Air Force careers to ensure people have the right education, training and assignments to meet Air Force requirements and for their individual professional development.  A development team (DT) has been established for every career field in the Air Force.

We stood up our officer medical DTs last fall, and are energetically implementing the many facets of force development.  Each AFMS corps has a team lead by a corps chief.  Other DT members include, but are not limited to, the corps director, a corps representative from each major command, a corps-specific assignment officer from the Air Force Personnel Center and an education officer. Other members may be appointed based on Corps needs, and consultants may be appointed members or invited for specific team activities.

The initial tasks completed by the teams were to establish a charter, develop a career planning diagram (CPD) for each corps (similar concept to career pyramid); identify specific jobs in each corps that correspond with tactical, operational, and strategic levels; and identify developmental education requirements for basic (BDE), intermediate (IDE) and senior (SDE) levels. 

Each corps established an initial CPD that will be refined, and a CPD will also be developed for each Air Force Specialty Code.  The CPD illustrates all the career tracks for a corps or AFSC – clinical, academic, and executive – and includes the appropriate developmental assignments and education for each track. 

The CPD will include opportunities for broadening assignments or for development into a different track.  I expect Force Development to restore robust clinical tracks and ensure the timing for transfer to an administrative track is appropriate to the corps and for the individual officer. 

Once the CPDs are developed and approved by the Air Force Directorate of Personnel, they will be published for your viewing pleasure on our AFMS force development website.

The DTs are currently planning assignments for those on the current vulnerability move lists and for individuals graduating from command and educational programs. If you are in one of these categories, you should complete and submit a T-ODP (Transitional-Officer Development Plan; formerly PWS).

Before you submit it to your DT (done by the click of an “enter” on the keyboard), you should discuss it with your commanders and your local corps advisor (i.e. chief nurse, BSC chief etc).  Once you submit your ODP, your DT will review it at their next scheduled meeting.  The DT will either concur with your plan, or recommend an alternate plan.  Either way, you will get feedback from the DT via a notation on the ODP.

The DT leaders are listed below for your information:

Biomedical Science Corps

Col. Jeff Sventek, Corps Chief, 59th MDTG
Col. Martha Davis, Corps Director, AF/SGCB

Dental Corps

Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas Bailey, Corps Chief, AFMC Command Surgeon
Col. (Dr.) Barry Baiorunos, Corps Director, AF/SGCD

Medical Corps                                   

Brig. Gen. (Dr.) David Young , Corps Chief, Commander 81st MDG
Col. (Dr.) Michael Spatz , Corps Director, AF/SGCM

Medical Service Corps

Col. Steve Meigs, Corps Chief, SPACECOM Command Surgeon     
Col. Frank Nelson, Corps Director, AF/SGCA      

Nurse Corps

Maj. Gen. Barbara Brannon, Corps Chief, ASG Medical Force Development 
Col. Linda Kisner, Corps Director, AF/SGCN

Force Development is one of the Air Force chief of staff’s top priorities, and I think it has terrific potential to not only make our Air Force stronger, but also to boost individual career satisfaction.

A key success factor in force development is good feedback to you on your career plans and interests.  The system ensures that each of you shares your assignment/education plan with your leadership and your DT, that you are given appropriate advice and options, and that you get feedback if an alternate plan is recommended.  The desired outcome is that the right officer with the right skills is given a developmental opportunity at the right time… to best meet the needs of the Air Force.

For the latest updates on Medical Force Development, visit our link to the SG homepage <https://kx.afms.mil/ctb/groups/dotmil/documents/afms/knowledgejunction.hcst?functionalarea=
MedicalManpowerDiv&checkinform=AFMS&doctype=home>